Technology That Will Change Your Life

5 Technologies That Will Change Your Life In The Next Decade

Technology has evolved rapidly over the past 10 years, affecting nearly every aspect of our everyday lives. Back in 2004, smartphones and tablet computers weren’t an option, and we were pretty happy just having mobile phones that could make calls and fit in a pocket. A tweet was a sound a bird made, and an app was a lazy waiter’s way of taking your order. In 2014, technology continues speeding along exponentially, and we can expect the changes in the next 10 years to dwarf those of the last decade. So what's next?

Autonomous Autos

So far, the modern technological revolution has done a lot to make driving more dangerous. Making phone calls behind the wheel was scary enough; then drivers started texting and checking Facebook.

The next round of technology should actually make driving safer. Cold, calculating computer hardware will replace human drivers and their friend-texting, Web-browsing, burrito-eating ways. Tech and auto companies are now working on autonomous cars that do all the driving, freeing up time for you to browse the internet, take a nap, or do anything you can do inside a car.

Google expects to have its self-driving cars on roads by 2020, and Nissan thanks it might get it done two years earlier. Research firm IHS Automotive anticipates about 230,000 new self-driving cars to be wheeling around highways come 2025, with that number ballooning close to 12 million — more than a third of which won’t even be capable of manual driving — 10 years after that. The self-driving revolution is near.

If you find the idea of self-driving cars unsettling, just think how much more fun a night at the bar will be when the car is driving itself home while you and the girl you just met find other ways of keeping occupied.

Consumerism in 3D

Three-dimensional printing has been used for decades, but only recently has it made the leap from big-money manufacturing to everyday consumers. Now that it’s out in the open, the possibilities seem boundless.

The 3D printer still isn’t a must-own for the average guy that’s not into DIY or hocking knick-knacks on Etsy. But if you look beyond the rough plastic home-builds and at some of the things that businesses, researchers and other serious 3D-printing experts are using the technology for — full vehicles, prosthetics, food houses — it’s clear that the technology will impact our lives in a big way.

The 3D printer may very well become as common in homes as the type printer once was, with consumers buying (or otherwise procuring) digital plans for products and parts and printing them out moments later. On the manufacturing end, 3D printing will get new ideas and products to market more quickly.